She blinked her eyes, touched her stomach, and giggled foolishly.

Henry Clark turned around to look at her.

"You didn't eat?"

"Hehehe, I... forgot." Little Grace answered with a silly grin.

So it turned out this girl had given all the remaining food to him.

Henry Clark felt a bit helpless; he didn't know how this girl had survived in such a dangerous environment until now.

He only knew that he felt a little guilty.

"So what should we do? Where did you get this food? I'm feeling better now, so I can help look for more." He said seriously.

"It's fine. Grace, strong!" Little Grace patted her chest, showing a carefree expression.

"I helped you. You help me find my dad and grandpa." She continued, speaking word by word.

"So you saved me for this reason?" Henry Clark understood. Having a request was good; with a request, he would have a chance to repay her.

He didn't like owing people favors, let alone such a life-saving one.

"Yes!" Little Grace nodded vigorously.

"Alright! If I have the ability, I will definitely help." Henry Clark nodded. Although the environment was extremely dangerous and harsh, the black mark on the back of his hand gave him a glimmer of hope for the future.

According to the black mark's ability, if everything could be strengthened, then maybe he could use this to build a safer hut or base!

After personal experience, he knew the doors and windows of this house couldn't keep out those strange and dangerous things outside.

Whether it was the white-clothed person before, the black bugs, or the unknown horror that just disguised itself as Dr. Carter—

None of them could be stopped.

"By the way, I wanted to ask, just now when you weren't here..." Henry Clark quickly told her what had happened earlier.

After hearing the description, Little Grace's expression became grave.

"It was a shadow fiend!" she answered.

"That was also a shadow fiend??" Henry Clark frowned.

"I should be the one to answer this question." Dr. Carter's voice came again from outside the door.

Little Grace quickly went over, opened the door, and happily welcomed her in.

Dr. Carter had changed outfits, now dressed in full hiking gear, a camouflage bodysuit, and a large backpack on her back, indicating she was probably planning to head out into the mountains.

As she walked in, her gaze swept over Henry Clark.

"In this place, there are two types of shadow fiends that often appear during the Black Calamity. One is the white shadow you encountered before, and the other is the impostor you just mentioned."

"The white shadow isn't too dangerous; as long as you keep your eyes on it and don't blink, you can get away safely. Also, the luminous stone can restrain it and temporarily disperse it.

But the impostor is much more troublesome. You must stay alert at all times and never trust anything outside of what was agreed upon."

Dr. Carter stared seriously at Henry Clark and added,

"Agreements are extremely, extremely important here!"

"Agreements?" Henry Clark seemed to have thought of something.

"Yes, before anyone separates from their companions, they must make clear agreements. When you regroup, what's the code word, under what circumstances can you open doors or windows, and so on—all of this must be agreed upon in advance. Otherwise... the impostor will take advantage and kill everyone one by one." Dr. Carter sighed.

"This is also why all the residents of Baiqiu Village live alone. Even during the day, impostors might appear and attack."

Impostors.

This brand-new concept made Henry Clark realize something he couldn't suppress in his heart.

He might never be able to return to his old life.

"Can you take me outside? I want to go out and see if I can get to the city," Henry Clark said after a moment of silence.

"Take the luminous stone—that white stone. As long as you go out during broad daylight, there shouldn't be a problem, but you have to control the time you come back," Dr. Carter replied. "Also, although impostors can appear during the day, usually only people who are physically weak can see them. If you're healthy, you can't see them at all."

Henry Clark immediately understood.

"Isn't there any way to get rid of these monsters?!" he asked in a deep voice.

"No, at least so far we haven't found one, and the government hasn't figured it out either." Dr. Carter shook her head. "Alright, Grace and I are planning to go out for a bit. If you want to come, hurry up. Baiqiu Village doesn't support freeloaders—you've been dragging down Grace for a long time."

She seemed quite dissatisfied with Henry Clark, and her gaze was rather unfriendly.

"I remember the life-saving favor," Henry Clark said seriously.

"Try surviving on your own first," Dr. Carter sneered, not bothering to look at Henry Clark anymore, and turned to talk to Little Grace.

Soon, Little Grace began preparing things and gear to go out.

Henry Clark had recovered quite a bit and helped pack as well.

He didn't mention the matter of strengthening the white stone. Not only could he not explain where the strengthened white stone came from, but judging from the black mark's ability, this would definitely become his greatest asset in the future.

He wasn't sure if anyone else had this ability; there was too little information, so gathering intelligence was the most important thing for now.

This place was too dangerous—he had to be cautious every step of the way.

"I will repay you." With this thought, Henry Clark spoke again, repeating himself.